broken girl soldier
by Lola Ravenhill
Summary: What do you do when the ones you've promised to serve, to devote your life to in defense of your country, turn on you? The answer's simple. You run. And you survive. Based on this prompt: 'Steve Rogers/Maria Hill; bankrobber or western AU.'


A little while ago, theladyscribe gave me this prompt: 'so my new pairing that I love is Steve Rogers/Maria Hill, and I would like a bankrobber or western AU please.' Those two together intrigue me, although I must admit I know more about Maria Hill from the EMH cartoons than the movieverse. Regardless of the source, Maria Hill seems amazingly kick-ass, and I hope I did her justice in this small alternate universe. Also, don't look for historical accuracy here.

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**broken girl soldier**

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"Are you ready?" Steve asks her.

Maria's never been one for showing her emotions. Hell, that was how Daddy had raised her after all, ever since she'd killed Mamma coming out of her and ruined any chances of him having a son. He taught Maria to be a man, to be strong, independent, to never show fear, show pain, show love. Never let them see anything that makes you weak. But it's okay to run around in trousers, keep your hair short like a boy so that it never snags on anything, to use a gun because you have to hunt to eat and if someone's aiming a rifle at you, you damn well better be able to fire at them first and strike true on the first shot.

But Steve knows how to read her by now. Sees the glimmer in her eye as they plan the upcoming raid. Watches as she ties the mask over her eyes and pulls her hat down low over her cropped hair in crisp, efficient moves. Follows her steady hands as they load up bullets into her six-shooters, spinning and then locking all of the pieces into place. She's familiar with the weapons, both from her childhood training and from her army days.

Plenty of women had aided the Union's war effort, following the camps and offering various types of support as they clashed with the Confederate armies, but it was a select few who had strapped down their bosoms, changed their names, and enlisted to fight with the men. Maria, then known as Martin Hill, had been one of those women and had been assigned to Captain Rogers' command, fighting alongside him, becoming a vital member of his squad, and all the while keeping a secret that could get her kicked out of the army (as the absolute minimum punishment if she were caught).

When the war had ended, it was fair to say Steve had become disillusioned with what had happened to the world that he was supposed to be fighting for. Sometimes it just wasn't worth it, so he bagged it all to head out west and live the life of an outlaw, a nomad, only to find Private Hill catching up with him somewhere in the Oklahoma Territory and lay into him mightily about shirking his duty without any care for what the Army would think.

Of course, just a couple of days after that some soldiers catch up with her, revealing that they are fully aware that Martin is actually Maria and that she has been ordered back to Washington to face punishment. The timing of it all is horribly impeccable, and Maria realizes that's the entire reason _why _she was picked for this mission. She'd be out of town, in unfamiliar lands without any aid, and subduing her would much, much easier that way.

Or rather, that's what they must have hoped would happen. Maria's always been clever; she'd managed to shave some time off of her travel route with some creative shortcuts. This means that by the time the soldiers catch up with her she's already made contact with her former Captain. Captain Rogers isn't a man to ignore someone who needs help, especially when the only reason a member of his former squadron is in trouble is because of a mere fact of birth, something entirely out of her control.

He's also got no leg to stand on when it comes to lying in order to get into the Army, but that's another story for another time.

And so Maria Hill finds herself on the run with Captain Steven Rogers, heading west until they're sure they've shaken off the Army's trackers.

While neither one of them has ever been inclined to a life of crime, the perks of bank robbing are quite nice when it means they've got enough coin to buy food, horses, warm linens for their tent, and a bull whip for Maria that makes Steve's mouth water when she flicks her wrist and rips a gun out of some poor sap's hand.

(Neither one of them had intended to become _that _involved. Maybe it was proximity or convenience that caused them to fall in bed with each other, but they both know it's something more than that.

"Partners," Steve says one day as he washes the road's dust and grime off of himself in the delicate china bowl that seems far too tiny for someone of his massive size. "That's what we are." The water sluices down his chest as he wipes himself off, turning the water in the bowl to a murky brown color.

"Partners," Maria repeats from her prone position on the hotel bed, propped against the pillows and wearing nothing more than the bed sheets. It's all too easy for them to pass as a traditional married couple when Maria tucks her short hair behind a bonnet and covers up her trousers and boots with the one long skirt she owns. It comes in handy when they don't feel like sleeping on the cold, hard ground and want a real bed for once. "I like that.")

Maria turns to Steve, smiling with a mouth full of sharp, gleaming teeth like polished tombstones in the sunshine. She leans over and presses her lips swiftly, firmly to his, then reseats herself on her horse. "Ready as I'll ever be," she says, readjusting her hat.

Steve smiles, tying his own mask into place. "All right. Here's the plan for the First Bank of Hunt's Creek..."


End file.
